Executive Leadership Team Briefs

Jeff AtwaterVice President of Strategic Initiatives and Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Jeff Atwater joined Florida Atlantic University as the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Chief Financial Officer on July 1, 2017. A fifth-generation Floridian, Jeff Atwater was elected Florida's Chief Financial Officer on November 2, 2010, and sworn into office on January 4, 2011. His commitment to public service began in 1993, when his hometown of North Palm Beach elected him Vice Mayor. Mr. Atwater was subsequently elected to the House of Representatives in 2000 and the Florida Senate in 2002 and was unanimously selected by his fellow senators to serve as Senate President in 2008. In addition to his service as an elected official, Mr. Atwater has twenty-five years of community banking experience and has performed volunteer work with many charitable and not-for-profit organizations and has served on a number of governing boards, including the United Way, Chamber of Commerce, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and Take Stock in Children, among others. Mr. Atwater earned his Bachelor's degree in finance and an MBA from the University of Florida.

Daniel C. FlynnVice President of Research

Daniel C. Flynn, Ph.D., Vice President of Research, joined FAU in January 2015 to oversee research administration in the Division of Research, which includes the Office of Sponsored Programs, Research Integrity, Research Accounting, Technology Development, Veterinary Services, Research Communications and the Florida Atlantic University Research Corporation. Prior to joining FAU, Flynn served as Associate Dean for Research in the University of Delaware’s College of Health Sciences where he helped grow the research enterprise by 60 percent, promoted invention disclosures, faculty patent applications and developed undergraduate entrepreneurial and research programs. He served as the founding Associate Dean for Research and Economic Development at The Commonwealth Medical College, a new medical school in Scranton, PA. Flynn spent 17 years at West Virginia University where he served as a Professor and Deputy Director of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center. During his career, he has been awarded more than $40 million in research funding, has published 72 research articles and has served on an editorial board, advisory committees and study sections for NIH and the Association of American Medical Colleges. He earned his bachelor’s at the University of Maryland, College Park, and his doctorate at North Carolina State University. He conducted his post-doctoral work at the University of Virginia.

Peter HullVice President, Public Affairs

Peter Hull joined FAU in May 2014. He oversees the Office of University Communications, which includes university-wide marketing initiatives, internal communications, FAU’s online presence through FAU.edu and social media, university branding, media relations and creative services. A former newspaper reporter, Mr. Hull has worked for The Island Packet (Hilton Head Island, S.C.), Inside Business (Norfolk, Va.), the Daily Press (Newport News, Va.), and The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.). In 2005, he was award a 1 st Place in Business reporting from the S.C. Press Association. Mr. Hull joined FAU after six years at Clemson University where he was communications and marketing director for economic development. In this role he was responsible for communications at Clemson’s 10 off-campus enterprise campuses and research and education centers across South Carolina. Peter attended University Centre Croydon in London, England, and received a Master of Arts from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.

David Kian, J.D.Vice President, Legal Affairs andGeneral Counsel

As chief legal officer, Mr. David Kian is responsible for supervising and managing all legal matters affecting Florida Atlantic University. Primary responsibilities include serving as legal counsel to the Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees; providing legal and policy analysis and advice to the University President and all senior administrators; directing all litigation and administrative proceedings involving the University at the hearing, trial and appellate levels; supervising and coordinating representation with outside counsel; assisting in the development of University compliance plans for federal and state regulations; and developing and presenting training sessions, panels, and guest lectures on an array of legal topics affecting the University. Mr. Kian has served as FAU's General Counsel since 2004. Previously he was Associate General Counsel and Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Florida, an associate with the law firm of Hill, Ward & Henderson, P.A., and a law clerk to United States District Court Judge Steven D. Merryday. Mr. Kian received his B.A. and J.D. degrees with honors from the University of Florida, where he was a National Merit Scholar, a National Endowment for the Humanities Younger Scholar, a Wentworth Scholar, a Judge James B. Whitfield Constitutional Law Scholar, and a National Finalist in the American Bar Association's National Appellate Advocacy Competition.

Corey King, Ed.D.Vice President, Student Affairs

Corey King, Ed.D., joined FAU in 2008 as the Associate Vice President/Dean of Students and was named Vice President for Student Affairs in February of 2015. He oversees all aspects of student life, promoting a campus culture that embraces student success through academic excellence, leadership development, and civic responsibility. He oversees the Division of Student Affairs, which provides a wide array of programs and services to FAU’s student body. In addition, Dr. King is an associate graduate faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology within the College of Education. During his career in higher education, Dr. King has held administrative positions in Student Affairs at Florida State University, the University of Florida, Wheeling Jesuit University and East Carolina University. He is involved with the Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA) and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). He has participated in many institutes and workshops, such as the NASPA/SACSA New Professional Institute, NASPA/SACSA Mid Managers’ Institute and the NASPA Senior Student Affairs Officers’ Institute. Dr. King received a Bachelor of Science in Curriculum and Instruction and a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration/Student Affairs from Florida State University. He earned his Doctorate of Educational Administration and Leadership from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Danita Nias joined FAU in October 2016 to lead the university into a new era of donor relations and to spearhead a capital campaign. Nias oversees all FAU fundraising efforts, including principal gifts, planned giving and alumni relations. Prior to arriving at FAU, she served as senior associate vice president for external affairs at the University of Florida. In that role, she was responsible for managing a portfolio of major donors and prospects while managing the university’s campaign strategy and structure for volunteers. From 1995 to 2011, Nias held numerous leadership positions at the University of Maryland, including assistant vice president for development and alumni relations. She has a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in personnel and labor relations from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at Maryland and a Master of Social Science with a concentration in international relations from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Gary W. Perry, Ph.D.Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

Gary W. Perry, Ph.D., serves as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. In this position, Dr. Perry leads the Division of Academic Affairs , directing the development and delivery of all academic programs at FAU while overseeing the division’s budget and personnel. The Division of Academic Affairs comprises FAU’s 10 colleges that deliver more than 180 degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. Related areas, such as the Office of Undergraduate Studies, the University Registrar, the University Libraries, the Office of Information Technology, Enrollment Management, and the Lifelong Learning Society, also come under the division’s umbrella. Previously, Dr. Perry served for seven years as Dean of FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science from 2006 to 2013, and he has spent spent nearly a quarter century on the University’s faculty. Prior to assuming the role of Dean, he had served as Interim Dean for Graduate Studies. Dr. Perry joined FAU in 1989 as an Associate Professor of Neuroscience and has held several other leadership positions at the University during the past 23 years, including the roles of Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Acting Director of the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences and Acting Associate Dean and Chair for the Biomedical Science Program. Dr. Perry is a graduate of the University of London and earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. He previously held research faculty appointments at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine before joining FAU.

Stacy A. Volnick is a longtime member of the Florida Atlantic University community, having enrolled as an undergraduate in 1985. After receiving her bachelor's degree in communication, she became a member of the University's administrative staff, advancing steadily through the ranks. In 2013 she was named Vice President for Administrative Affairs and Chief of Staff in the Office of the President. As Vice President Administrative Affairs, Ms. Volnick advises the President on organizational and policy decisions, and she develops, coordinates and implements a wide variety of presidential initiatives. She serves as the President's representative to constituencies both inside and outside the University, acts as liaison to the Board of Trustees and oversees the Eleanor R. Baldwin House (the President's on-campus residence), the University Ombudsman, University Business Services, Board Operations, the Office of University Communications and the Office of Public Safety, which includes University Police, Traffic and Parking, and Emergency Management. Now a double graduate of FAU, Ms. Volnick has added a master's degree in educational leadership to her academic credentials.